Barbados in the BIG Picture

Submitted by Tee White

Much of the discussion going on in Barbados today about the current situation in the country tends to ignore both the historical and international context. However, it is very difficult to make sense of the current situation without taking these into account.

From a historical point of view, the origin of modern Barbados can be traced back to 1627, when the rising English merchant class and their aristocratic backers took control of the island and established it as a cog in Britain’s growing imperial economy. Its sole role in this relationship was, through various forms of forced labour and slavery, to generate wealth which would, in the main, be transferred to Britain for consumption. Therefore by the early 1920s, after 200 years under capitalism as slavery and 100 years under capitalism as colonial apartheid, the mass of working class Bajans, who were mainly the descendants of the enslaved Africans, were living in utter poverty and degradation. Mary Chamberlain in her book, Empire and Nation-Building in the Caribbean: Barbados, 1937-1966, points out that “wages in Barbados were the lowest in the region, ….. Barbados was one of the poorest of the British West Indian colonies…… public health was ‘peculiarly deplorable’…and Infant and child mortality were at devastating levels”. Even the British government’s Moyne Commission reported that in 1937, Barbados had the highest infant mortality rate and the second lowest number of government doctors per 100, 000 of the population in Britain’s Caribbean colonies.

It was in order to address these deplorable social conditions that the then generation of Bajans developed the early trade unions and political parties. With the winning of universal suffrage in 1951, there emerged a historic compromise. The old plantocracy, both local and foreign, were guaranteed their continued control of the island’s economy, while the new black governments of the BLP and DLP carried out social reforms to raise the standard of living of the mass of Bajans. These reforms in the fields of education, health care, public transport, public health and social welfare, coupled with the economic benefits of emigration, had a significant impact on the standard of living of most working class Bajans. They were possible because they took place against a background in which the ‘social welfare state’ was the dominant form of management of global capitalism. This approach rejected the 19th century free market arrangements where only the capitalists were considered as having a legitimate claim on the society’s wealth and where for the workers it was ‘every turkey fuh he own craw’. Those who failed to make it in this cut throat approach would have to fall back on the charity of the rich or go over the cliff. The social welfare state rejected this concept and in its place declared the responsibility of the society towards its members ‘from the cradle to the grave.’

Today, the international context has changed significantly. Neo-liberalism has emerged now as the dominant means of organising global capitalism. Its main characteristic is restricting the claim of the working class on the wealth they produce so that more can be funnelled to the rich and super rich. It amounts to robbing the poor to pay the rich. Workers wage levels are frozen or cut under austerity programs, workers are sacked and left jobless, tax cuts are brought in for the rich, social welfare programs which benefit the mass of people are cut or abolished, public utilities are turned into money making opportunities for the rich through privatisation and government contracts to private firms become a new form of corporate welfare. The aim and net effect of these reforms are to erode the standard of living of the working people and, wherever they are applied, there is a deepening of social inequality, with its resultant social despair, frustration and crime.

The point that we need to recognise is that the old model of economic and social development that Barbados has experienced over the last 80 or so years is over. This is the nub of the issue. The neo-liberal economic model demands the step by step shredding of the social welfare arrangements to which the country has become accustomed. Despite the claims of the IMF, this is not a temporary arrangement to help the country get back on its feet, but is intended as a permanent setup in which the standard of living of ordinary Bajans is reduced. All over the world, working people are beginning to voice their opposition to this direction of travel. The question is when will Bajans join in.

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Every singe credible peer reviewed academic statistical analysis that I have read shows conclusively that the dominant reason that Trump won the 2016 election was because of his White supremacist rhetoric and ideology . Yes, the USA is that racist. Yes, there are some people with brown skin who support White supremacy.
Trump’s racism is the main reason that John supports him.

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Anytime you see PLT refer to White Supremacy, replace it with Christianity!!

“Every singe credible peer reviewed academic statistical analysis that I have read shows conclusively that the dominant reason that Trump won the 2016 election was because of his Christian rhetoric and ideology .

@John
Fascinating to discover that you consider “grab them by the pussy” to be “Christian rhetoric and ideology.”

Of course I already knew that you think Trump’s opinion that “laziness’s is a trait in Blacks” to be your kind of Christianity. And of course Trump was your kind of Christian John, when he campaigned for Roy Moore for the Alabama Senate, a candidate who said that enslavement of Black
people was a great idea.

@John
Fascinating to discover that you consider “grab them by the pussy” to be “Christian rhetoric and ideology.”
Of course I already knew that you think Trump’s opinion that “laziness’s is a trait in Blacks” to be your kind of Christianity. And of course Trump was your kind of Christian John, when he campaigned for Roy Moore for the Alabama Senate, a candidate who said that enslavement of Black
people was a great idea.

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I was watching to see how quickly you would come up with this dodge!!

All I have said was anytime you use White Supremacy you really mean Christianity!!

I never said that I would agree with what you said once you made the adjustments!!

Now, how on earth could any reputable author measure the number of white supremacists in America?

@John
I have not dodged anything. You have acknowledged that your version of Christianity is Trump’s White supremacist and misogynist ideology. I already knew this, of course, but it has taken you a while to admit it yourself.

John Remember who is the Father of lies, Deception and Accusations and his Minions abound… PLT is SOOOOO Envious of your Understanding he went Left you went Right…. He Learnt a Godless Ideology which he upholds and his god is the Government.

You on the other hand not only understand History but you are an Inspired Christian that Receives Understanding that an Atheist cannot even Dream of because they have rejected the Light within.

Freedom Had a Question for you which you may have missed as all of Freedoms contributions on BU go in to Administration where they are scrutinized before being released and do not appear spontaneously like other Bloggers????

OTHER

We see from the following that Jean-Baptiste Belley, was a FREE” BLACK OR “COLOURED” SLAVEHOLDER in Saint-Domingue modern-day Haiti. It seems that Belley was born on the coast of West Africa in 1746 or 1747. Around the age of two, he was abducted and sold into slavery in Saint-Domingue, modern-day Haiti. Little is known of his life as a slave, except that he was allowed to pursue a trade and earn enough money to eventually purchase his own freedom. He clearly received an education, either before or after his emancipation…

The National Convention decrees the abolition of the Negroes’ slavery in all of the Colonies. Therefore, it orders that all men, without any distinction of color, domiciled in the Colonies, shall be free citizens and enjoy all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution…

Commissioners of the Republic had already proclaimed the abolition of slavery in Haiti a year earlier, but now that measure was extended to all French territories. As for Belley, he continued fighting in Paris the influence of the lobby of plantation owners, who had regained hope of a reinstatement of slavery after the fall of Robespierre in 1794 and the ensuing reaction.

JOHN HAVE YOU READ ABOUT THIS DO YOU KNOW OF “FREE” BLACK OR “COLOURED” SLAVEHOLDERS IN BARBADIAN HISTORY.
IT IS SAID THAT THERE WERE 5,349 SLAVEHOLDERS IN BARBADOS PRIOR TO EMANCIPATION OF WHICH 2,294 WERE LANDOWNERS FROM 399 PLANTATIONS. THE REMAINDER OF 3,055 WERE LANDLESS, AND OF THESE 2,000 WERE “FREE” BLACK OR “COLOURED” SLAVEHOLDERS.

JEROME S. HANDLER. THE UNAPPROPRIATED PEOPLE: FREEDMEN IN THE SLAVE SOCIETY OF BARBADOS?

When I went through the slave returns for 1817 on microfilm in 2002 I found there were approximately 6000 slave owners.

All are now available on the interned, freely searchable.

There were about 77,000 slaves so overall average slave holding was 12-15.

About 10% of the slave owners (600) were either Free Negroes or Free Mulattoes.

The largest plantation return was for Kendal & Hallets owned by William Hinds Prescod, father of Samuel Jackman Prescod.

I would say about half the slave population were on large plantations, (100-200 acres, typically 150 slaves) the other half were owned by people of all colours who owned 10’s of acres and mostly lived in St. Michael where 7/8 of the economy was concentrated.

There were perhaps 300-400 large plantations so, 300-400 large slave owners, typically of the order of 100-150 slaves.

That means 5,600-5,700 slave owners in Barbados did not own large plantations!!

Do not confuse Saint Domingue with Barbados, different scales!!!

These are stats I find on the net for saint Domingue. “Between 1764-1771, 10,000-15,000 slaves were arriving each year; 25,000 arrived in 1786; and more than 40,000 arrived in 1787. By 1787, there were 450,000 slaves in Saint-Domingue. At this time, 60% of the French slaves in the Americas were in Saint-Domingue and two-thirds of those slaves were African-born.”

We like to think how rich Barbados was but the more I analyse the more I realise that’s just rubbish.

All you need to do to appreciate the two different scales is to look on google earth at Barbados and Saint Domingue, now Haiti!!

When Saint Domingue was destroyed, capital moved to Louisiana and Cuba and large scale production continued.

Thank you John the reason I mentioned Jean-Baptiste Belley, who was a FREE” BLACK OR “COLOURED” SLAVEHOLDER in Saint-Domingue was to say if this was a Practice in Saint-Domingue it would have probably been Practiced in Barbados which was Confirmed by you. Thanks Again Freedom.

Donna
May 21, 2019 7:16 PM
What is the brain washing of the 1960 s and how did you Three Musketeers escape it?
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We played cricket and did other things … didn’t have the time for the crap!!!

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Trump on the other hand was busy making his first billion and of course was much busier than the three of us!!

Here is a report in a UK newspaper. Further evidence that e should not take Googling as gospel

Last week, British fans of Rihanna went wild when they spotted an unusual product in the background of one of the singer’s Instagram stories: a Sainsbury’s carrier bag.
While it was safe to assume that the Jamaican singer, who found success overseas in the United States and then internationally, was in town for some reason, it has now been revealed that Rihanna has actually moved to London.(Quote)

From Barbados is not in the Caribbean to Rihanna is Jamaican. What next? This is not as strange as it may seem. It is only recently that British officials stopped calling all Caribbeans Jamaicans.

I also played cricket and other things. But you still have not answered what was the brainwashing.

What was the brainwashing that you claim to have escaped?

PS. It has not been established that Trump was making his first billion. What has been established is his MO in business. I wouldn’t wish to make a billion in that manner. I wouldn’t wish to “gain the whole world and lose my soul”.

No, I did not talk about cover driving a long hop. I do however remember mentioning a shot that did not quite fit the ball. It was because the words fit so well that I did it. Trust you to see that. I thought I had gotten away with it. GP did not point it out.

I not only know all the shots, I know all the balls, could draw you all the field placings and tell you all the rules. The idea of reverse swing was the only thing that I had to ask about since I heard the term a years ago. I am seldom wrong on LBW decisions BEFORE the review has taken place. That’s how much I know. I would not be able to give a running commentary but giving comments would not be beyond my ability.

PS. We girls played more bat and ball than serious cricket. What I learnt I learnt later from watching Alvin kallicharran, Lawrence Rowe, Lance Gibbs, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall etc. etc etc.

Imagine I was there the Saturday when Lawrence Rowe was on the way to scoring 302 (on Sunday) when Kalli came in a scored a quick century versus England in 1973, I think.

I was there for the famous Michael Holding /Geoffrey Boycott over. I was there when Sherwin Campbell was knocked down by Brendon Julien. And this pompous ass thinks I don’t know the difference between a long hop or bouncer, a length ball, yorker and a ball that is over-pitched. He thinks I don’t know the difference between a pull, a hook and a short arm jab. He thinks I don’t know the difference between a straight drive and a cover drive. He thinks I don’t know the difference between silly mid-on and forward short leg far less backward short leg. He thinks I don’t know the difference between a slip and a gully, cover and extra cover. Long leg, fine leg, mid-on, mid wicket, third man, mid-off and silly mid off
He thinks I don’t know the difference between a Chinaman and a googly, a finger spinner and a wrist spinner. an off spinner and a leg spinner. A fast bowler and a medium pacer, a swing bowler and a seam bowler.

Aha! I now remember what term I used. I think I said I smashed the long hop back past the bowler. That would not happen. The over-pitched straight balls can be smashed back past the bowler.

He says some authority ” Every singe credible peer reviewed academic statistical analysis that I have read shows conclusively that the dominant reason that Trump won the 2016 election was because of his White supremacist rhetoric and ideology . Yes, the USA is that racist.”

In reality he is saying something he believes but there is no statistical basis for saying America is racist for the simple reason that it can’t be measured.

However, if you google the question “How many Christians in the US” you actually get a number .. a statistic.

“Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 75% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2015.[1][2] This is down from 85% in 1990, lower than 81.6% in 2001,[3] and slightly lower than 78% in 2012.[4] About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.[5] The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, with nearly 240 million Christians, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations.”

You cannot get a statistical measure of the number of racists in America … or for that matter white supremacists!!

The reason PLT believes this crap is because he has been brainwashed.

He has repeated the mantra in groups who think like he does and he has drawn on the approval he gets from his elders to become more and more bold to make statements he should know to be false and unproveable!!

Correct, that is what I said. Now I remember. I though I had gotten away with it. Did you save that just to bring it up later?????? Sorry I am not as ignorant as you thought.

I thought the famous Lillee/ kallicharran encounter. was at Perth in 1975 Listened to it on my little red transistor radio, earphone in ear so my mother would not know I was still up. It was after Jeff Thompson broke his nose. He retired hurt, went to hospital came back and went out to bat at the fall of the next wicket. He smashed some fours and a six and then was out for a quickfire fifty. I do recall that World Cup innings but the Perth one was the most famous, i think.

True. He probably does not have the stats to back that up. He cannot prove that this is why Trump won. I believe it is far more complex than that but it definitely was a factor because he made it a major pillar of his campaign.. There are statistics on white supremacists groups. Apparently they were on the rise from the moment of Obama’s election. And their activities have increased since Trump’s election. There are organizations that track this sort of stuff for obvious reasons. the FBI is far less interested and the funds and the attention have been directed elsewhere. That America would have residual and structural racism is understandable considering that it was built on it. It was not long ago that Martin Luther King and co. marched. That generation that opposed him is still alive and many of them would not have changed their opinions.

I remember that innings also. We were beaten with the help of some very crooked Australian umpires. Tony Cozier complained bitterly that you literally had to get Greg Chappell out four times before he was finally given out. The New Zealanders topped the Aussie crookery in 1981. Poor kallicharran was given out as soon as he arrived at the wicket. The New Zealanders have changed their ways but the Aussies are still at it.

Now back to Trump, I don’t know if Trump is really racist or if he is just using the racism of others as a political tactic. The man is a performer and a very good one. He also knows which buttons to press to get the reaction he wants.

Whether he is racist or not is irrelevant. The fact that he would use it for his political purposes is somehow even worse than if he actually believed in it. Many racists are just ignorant or so downtrodden that they need to believe there is somebody beneath them. It is easier to excuse them than the one who knows better.

And just because Trump said exactly what he was going to do does not make it right if he appeals to one segment of the American electorate … and if Trump is such a good president why is it that people other than white do not believe that he has their interest at heart …why is it that other minorities and Blacks do not feel comfortable with this president?

For you information the poor class working people in America received less money on their Federal income return and the wealth paid less in Federal taxes and received more in their returns … So Trump has essentially took money from the poor and working class people, and put it in the hands of the rich … so get your damn facts straight before you start spreading nonsense on BU …

John
For you information the poor class working people in America received less money on their Federal income return and the wealth paid less in Federal taxes and received more in their returns … So Trump has essentially took money from the poor and working class people, and put it in the hands of the rich … so get your damn facts straight before you start spreading nonsense on BU …

John
Here is the example: last year I received four- thousand dollars in Federal income taxes …this year I got back exactly two- thousand dollars in Federal taxes … so what Trump essentially did was to take away the tax exempts poor people had and gave them to the rich …

Any country that sends its young men to war and then does not take good care of them when they come home is a shit hole country.

Any country that fights not to take care of the now cancer-riddled First Responders who ran into the Twin Towers on 911 is a shit hole country.

Any country where average hardworking people are still unable to get really sick without going bankrupt is a shit hole country.

Any country where AR 15 s are frequently used to mow down children in classrooms is a shit hole county.

Any country that thinks the way to deal with the issue is to arm teachers is a shit hole country

Any country that has fifty-six bridges that could collapse any minute and a President who walks away from fixing them because he is under investigation is a shit hole country.

And I have found out that America is no less corrupt than is Barbados. The notion of justice being blind is nothing but a joke in that country.

I could go on and on but if I were a President I would simply have found better ways of describing the challenges faced by African and Caribbean nations because America with all its wealth and white people is not doing as well as it should be.

John please leave this Marxist Dungeon… you have Educated those want to be Enlightened with the Truth Backed by Historical Facts… Leave the Rest of the unwashed to Stew in their Twisted Mental Bile. An Educated man like you should be Penning Article for BU but No, you like others whose voice of Reason are restrained to the BU Pits. You do Realise that after David insulted GP, that GP may he said to a.. with BU, who need this and has not been seen since! One Less Conservative Voice the BM has lost even if temporary! Conservatives are way outnumbered by the Collectives on BU…They Rule or so the BM thinks?

John
Here is the example: last year I received four- thousand dollars in Federal income taxes …this year I got back exactly two- thousand dollars in Federal taxes … so what Trump essentially did was to take away the tax exempts poor people had and gave them to the rich …

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Has it dawned on you that you are actually getting better at filing your income tax return!!

That is why you got less, you got it right!!!

Well, not totally right … there is a $2000 improvement you can make!!!!!!!!!!

Lexicon
May 23, 2019 8:03 AM
John
Here is the example: last year I received four- thousand dollars in Federal income taxes …this year I got back exactly two- thousand dollars in Federal taxes … so what Trump essentially did was to take away the tax exempts poor people had and gave them to the rich …
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Has it dawned on you that you are actually getting better at filing your income tax return!!
That is why you got less, you got it right!!!
Well, not totally right … there is a $2000 improvement you can make!!!!!!!!!!

A nine-member jury today returned a unanimous verdict declaring Richard Delisle Arthur guilty of an ammunition charge.
He was accused of having 102 rounds of ammunition in his possession on January 31, 2012 without a valid licence to do so.
Arthur was remanded to HMP Dodds until July 19.(Quote)

Here is what is interesting: a man accused of illegal possession of ammunition was on bail for seven years, an offence, given his position in the Barbados Rifle Association and as a dealer, should have led to a heavy fine and a ban from being a dealer or having a gun license.
The fact he has been on bail for that length of time is proof, further proof, the criminal justice system is broken. If t hat was not enough, a white tourist was accused of indecent assault on a local black woman. He was remanded overnight and the following day pleaded guilty. But, this genius of a magistrate, faced with a guilty plea, reprimanded and discharged the accused without a record of criminal offence.
This mickey mouse criminal justice system is a joke. The man pleaded guilty, for Heavens sake. He is guilty of a criminal offence, what is all this about a reprimand and discharge.
That is what courts impose on people for a breach of the peace (offence against good order and discipline as it is called in the services).
Do we have a sentencing council? Is the chief justice in charge of sentencing policy? Who supervises the magistrates? Do magistrates have to undergo an annual test of competence?

Listen hear man! …you does talk a lot of rashole … how do you mean I getting better at filing my taxes? I tell that the entire US got back less in their taxes except the rich because Trump took away a lot of the Federal exempts … what is there so difficult to understand about what I am conveying Sir?

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